Steals Abound for Chiefs’ “2a” Selection
Carlton rejoices over the Chiefs’ options atop the 2nd.
The upside of teams doing really, really stupid things in the first round is that there is a overwhelming ton of great talent remaining for the second round. As of now, the Chiefs have two second rounders that they’ve been wise enough to hold onto for a year.
And as a result, the first Chiefs pick in the second round, or as we call it the “2a” pick, is in prime position to pick up a ridiculous steal. Hell the way things are going, the “2b” pick could be pretty special as well.
But I want to put up a list in order of who I think the Chiefs should obtain with the 2a pick among the remaining talent, assuming of course they are able to last until the Chiefs’ turn to select.
In other words, since you’ve listened to me before, Mr. Pioli, allow me to send you another note: DO NOT TRADE DOWN.
My favorite steals and deals, after the jump. What are yours?
Before I begin the list, I just want to reiterate that I would not be upset with any of these picks based on value. I could be very upset if we opt for any of the names near the bottom of this list over the names towards the top.
But these players are all excellent value and first-round talent. It is certain that most of them will fall to our 2a pick, and a couple may even fall to our 2b…
1. QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame. I don’t need to tell you how much I believe this should be our pick. You’ve followed me all draft season and you know where my loyalties lie. But I do not believe, not even for a second, that Clausen falling to our 2a pick is any cause for concern that he is not the true franchise quarterback that I believe him to be. His Jay Cutler-esque personality has definitively rubbed NFL teams the wrong way.
But if Charlie Weis, the man who recruited, developed, and coached him, and our current offensive coordinator, can vouch for Clausen personally, there is absolutely no reason not to take him as a readymade backup to Cassel atop the 2nd round. His value is absolutely insane.
But it is my belief that Clausen will not make it to the Chiefs; either the Vikings will take him, or another team will trade over us. But he must be our pick if he falls into our lap.
2. NT Terrance Cody, Alabama. Now, the likelihood of Clausen falling into our lap is fairly small. Someone will leapfrog us to snag him. But the likelihood that Cody, a 400 lb. behemoth that dominated the SEC, is available is damn close to 100%.
Paddy made his case, and I’ve made mine. Cody is the best pure nose tackle in the NFL Draft, and no player fits the Crennel defensive line scheme as well as he does. His job to potentially occupy space, demand blockers, and free up our passrushers and run pluggers, is unequaled.
There is going to be a run on nose tackles in the 2nd, possibly forcing us to reach for Troup with our “2b” selection. Getting ahead of the curve with Cody would be tremedous value.
3. WR Damian Williams, USC. I believe Williams is going to emerge from this Draft as its best receiver. He has (fortunately for us) received absolutely no buzz and has fallen due to his lack of top end speed. But when I see Damian Williams, I see Chris Chambers. A pure wideout with superb route-running abilities that will give this receiving corps the depth it needs in 2010 while offering it a surefire starter to free up Bowe in 2011.
4. OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland. I have Campbell penciled in as Top 10 talent, but it didn’t surprise me that he fell so much. He is a boom-or-bust player, but the “boom” is of such magnitude that I was sure Al Davis would take it: Campbell is a 300 lbs. athlete that rivals most linebackers! That said, Pioli is not going to be a gambler with a pick this high in a Draft this important. Campbell is 100% unlikely to end up in Red & Gold.
5. WR Golden Tate, Notre Dame. Tate has become a Chiefs fan favorite over the draft season. His speed is unquestioned, and he’s been a great route-runner for Jimmy Clausen, which is an underrated ability as a WR. (Odd, considering it’s the most important ability as a WR.) For all of Chambers’ ability, this team does not have a true deep threat. Tate’s size is a concern, but Weis’ familiarity with him at Notre Dame is probably worth the look at 2a.
6. ILB Daryl Washington, Texas Christian. An unsung talent that hasn’t got enough buzz in the Chiefs blogosphere, Washington sports the kind of athletic talent that makes him, in my opinion, the best inside linebacker in this entire Draft — even over Rolando McClain, whose speed and systemic limitations made him second round value in my eyes. Washington is a lion of a linebacker, with tenacious pursuit and a world-beater of a heart on the field. He’s good value at 2a, brilliant value at 2b.
7. OLB Ricky Sapp, Clemson. People keep mentioning Kindle, but Kindle is a workout warrior. He’s a terrible prospect that honestly is going to take too long to develop for Pioli to afford. Instead, I believe that Sapp poses some great value for us at the 2a selection. Sapp comes from Clemson’s passrushing scheme, where he put up great numbers in assignments that will closely resemble what the Chiefs as their outside linebackers to do. Sapp is about as readymade as passrushers come, although he’ll need a year for proper development. No doubt Mike Vrabel would welcome the occasional blow.
8. CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest. An unforseen turn of events were five corners going in the first round, and none of them were Brandon Ghee. The Chiefs might still be looking to upgrade their secondary because these days in the NFL, you need three good corners. He poses pretty good size (6’0″, 190 lbs) that puts him physically between the physical abilities of Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr. He’s tailor made to be a damn good nickel back in the situation where we might need him to be. But I don’t anticipate Pioli looking this direction until later in the Draft. Ghee is great value at 2b.
9. OT Rodger Saffold, Indiana. Saffold is a fascinating look into the mind of Pioli: did he pick up Berry because he was too talented to pass on? If so, Saffold is the front-runner for the Chiefs’ 2a, because it’s possible the Chiefs are still very interested in upgrading Albert at LT. Saffold is a pure LT prospect, and a great one at that, much better than people give him credit for. He handled perhaps the nastiest selection of passrushers in the Big 10 for nearly four years in Indiana. But if Pioli selected Berry because he doesn’t believe Albert needs to be upgraded? Count out Saffold.
10. OT Charles Brown, USC. Brown is the fundamentals whiz that Pioli seems to gravitate towards. That’s why Bulaga was such a highly rumored pick to us during draft season, and Jackson was our #1 pick last year. His interest, to a certain extent, would be warranted; Brown is a technician who knows how to play this position better than any other tackle in the Draft. The need to coach him up would be minimal.
11. S Taylor Mays, USC. Mays is simply the best value for this team at 2a. But with a safety already having been selected in the first round, I simply don’t think Pioli will go here. But by no means would it be a poor decision if he did.